I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
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Give yourself the blessing of subscribing to Richard’s blog and wake up each day with creativity and inspirational verses that will help you focus on what is important. Enjoy and have a blessed day!
bigskybuckeye.com/2024/12/23/watch-out-christmas-is-almost-here-special-guest-post/
Read this poem and be in awe of the simple message that will dig deeply into your heart. Thanks to Big Sky Buckeye for sharing truth with us. Please go to the original post and follow the author. You are in for a real treat!
Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me,
Amidst the confusions of my day,
The calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves
With the soothing music Of the singing streams
That live in my memory.
Help me to know
The magical power of sleep,
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations Of slowing down
To look at a flower;
To chat with an old friend Or make a new one;
To pat a stray dog;
To watch a spider build a web;
To smile at a child;
Or to read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day
That the race is not always to the swift;
That there is more to life Than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward
Into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew great and strong
Because it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life’s enduring values
That I may grow toward the stars
Of my greater destiny.
I have a small plaque of this poem that my husband and children gave me about three decades ago. It hangs in my bathroom next to the sink, a place where I can see it each day if I choose to take the time to look at it. Lately, I have been seeing it a lot, first out of the corner of my eye, then taking it down and reading it carefully and finally, taking the time to read and think about what it is saying to me. This life that we live on earth goes fast. We are only here for a season and then we are gone, leaving footprints behind on the hearts of others. At least, that is our hope. I want to leave a footprint that says that I loved well and that I was well loved. I want to leave memories of activities together and laughter that we shared. I want to enjoy the moments, days, years that I have left on this earth making a difference in the lives of those whom I know best and love best. I can only do that if I slow down and take time to just be.
The world says to rush around and work hard each hour of each day so that you can make more money to buy more things. But Wisdom says to listen, to understand how quickly life passes and how important it is to take the time to be with God, to be with those you love. That is why we need to slow down, so that we can appreciate what we have and be grateful to the Father who gives us all things.
Many years ago, I received a copy of this poem by Kipling as a gift at a graduation. Since then, I have looked for the poem almost annually to present to others who have reached a milestone in their lives and are moving forward into an unknown future. Here is the poem, and credit goes to http://www.etsy.com for this photo.
This poem does not mention God at all or what should be His place in the lives of the young person seeking to make his/her way in the world. I do not know about Kipling’s faith or lack thereof and it is not for me to judge Him. I’m simply stating that faith is not part of the poem, so perhaps a better choice for me to give as a verse or a gift would be a Scripture verse or two that would lead them to look to where their true help lies when times get tough.
You see, the poet Kipling gives rather sound advice but it does not have the foundation that it needs to make it completely useful. Yes, it’s good to trust yourself, but it’s better to trust God. If the things in life are broken, then it’s good to remember that God is there to help you pick up the pieces and build something new. God is the one who helps us to hold on when we think all is lost. And, finally, the King we need to walk with daily is Jesus and glean wisdom from His Word. Yes, the poem “If” is useful, but God’s Word is a sure foundation, one that is trustworthy and reliable, a way that we can be absolutely certain that no matter what kinds of troubles assault us, we have the Lord of all of the earth in our corner, encouraging us to battle once more and declare the victory that He has already given us. So, rather than have an “if” that depends on my human choices and weaknesses, I choose to have a certain hope in the Lord. I hope that is what your choice is, too, for it is only hope in God and His mercy, grace and love that will lead to the future that we all desire, eternity with Him.
Have a blessed day and may your life be filled with hope in the One who has always loved, helped and shielded you.
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